Near the snow-covered Tianchi Lake, Xu Yuehuai stood side by side with the tribal chief, gazing at the desolate, uninhabited land before them, his heart filled with helplessness.
In the cold wind, the two figures appeared exceptionally thin, as if they might be swallowed up by the merciless wind and snow at any moment.
"Chief, our food supplies are running low. If this continues, we may not be able to save ourselves." Xu Yuehuai did not want to go back like this.
The leader comforted her, "Holy Maiden, don't worry, I will find food. Although this place is desolate, there is always a glimmer of hope."
After saying that, he turned and stepped into the wind and snow, his back view appearing exceptionally brave and solitary.
Night fell, but the snow continued to fall.
Xu Yuehuai sat by the campfire, feeling uneasy.
The silence was broken by heavy footsteps, and the leader returned, exuding a chill, clutching several pieces that looked like roasted meat.
“Chief, you…” Xu Yuehuai looked at the obviously unnatural “roasted meat” with reddening eyes.
She took a piece, barely managed to take a bite, then her face changed drastically, and she spat it out violently, "This... how could you..."
The chieftain smiled bitterly, “Holy Maiden, you must live and lead the tribe out of this predicament. I am old, it doesn’t matter if I die.”
Tears welled up in Xu Yuehuai's eyes. She gripped the leader's hand tightly, her voice firm: "No! Leader, we swore to live and die together. I absolutely cannot let you die because of me!"
The two looked at each other in silence, their tears mingling with the wind and snow, telling a story of endless loyalty and sacrifice.
In the end, Xu Yuehuai silently buried the "roasted meat" and turned to treat the leader's wounds.
In the stillness of the night, the leader slowly fell asleep under Xu Yuehuai's care.
Xu Yuehuai, on the other hand, once again embarked on a journey to find a way to survive. She walked alone towards the crack at the edge of Tianchi Lake, which was her last hope.
She tried to use the power of the red rose to open the crack, but was instead attacked by the powerful force, spitting out blood and turning ashen-faced.
Xu Yuehuai endured the pain, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to calm the surging blood and qi in her body.
Just then, an unusual blue light quietly appeared from the northern horizon, echoing the red rose mark on her heart, as if telling some ancient covenant.
"Could this power break the current predicament?" Xu Yuehuai suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them.
Without hesitation, she stood up and staggered forward into the wind and snow.
Amidst the wind and snow, she nearly fell several times, but the blue light seemed to have an inexplicable attraction, drawing her forward regardless of everything.
When Xu Yuehuai finally approached the location of the blue light after exhausting almost all her strength, she was surprised to find that the light originated from an unknown place opposite the snow mountain.
Amidst the biting wind and swirling snowflakes, Xu Yuehuai stood atop a steep snow cliff, his gaze fixed resolutely on the seemingly unreachable other shore.
Her breath condensed into white mist in the cold air, each exhale accompanied by excruciating pain, but this pain paled in comparison to the resolute determination in her heart.
"Xu Yuehuai, are you ready?" she asked herself softly, her voice low but filled with undeniable power.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath as if to inhale all the courage in the world into her chest, and then, without hesitation, leaped into the endless abyss.
The dagger in her hand gleamed coldly in the wind; it was not only her weapon, but also her only support.
The dagger sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound, attempting to slow the irresistible downward momentum.
However, even so, gravity still relentlessly pulled her to the bottom of the abyss, to that unknown ice cave.
With a dull thud, Xu Yuehuai's body tumbled several times in the ice cave, each impact like a heavy hammer striking every inch of her bones and nerves.
The icy snow water instantly soaked her through, and the biting cold felt like thousands of steel needles piercing her skin and heading straight for her heart.
Her consciousness began to fade, and she could almost hear her heartbeat gradually weakening; the flame of her life was about to be extinguished.
Just then, a warm power welled up from the bottom of her heart, like the warm sunshine of spring piercing through the clouds and illuminating her world.
Those were the smiling faces of Qi Guze and the children, clearly appearing in her mind; every smile was full of love and hope.
"Ah Yue, I'm always with you." A gentle voice rang in her ears. It was Qi Guze's call across time and space, instantly pulling her back from the brink of death.
Xu Yuehuai gritted her teeth, her eyes regaining a determined light.
With her last ounce of strength, she struggled to climb out of the ice cave. Every step was incredibly difficult, but she had only one thought in her mind—to move forward, towards the blue light that was guiding her!
Finally, as she stood breathlessly on a vast, empty ice field, a familiar figure came into view: a man in a silver mask and black robe, standing there quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
His eyes flashed with a complex light, a mixture of anger and helplessness.
"It really is you! The one who will wipe out my clan!" Every word the man in black robes uttered seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with hatred.
Xu Yuehuai stopped, meeting his gaze without flinching: "So you can predict. It seems I'll definitely make it back alive." Her tone was calm and firm, as if she had seen through all the black-robed man's tricks.
The man in black robes sneered and took the blue gemstone from the ice wall. It was a gemstone that emitted a faint blue light and contained extreme power.
"This blue rose stone and the red rose stone within you are sworn enemies. It can suppress your power, but the price is the annihilation of the person who uses the blue rose stone. But I will spare no effort to kill you! My race must not be destroyed by you!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai suddenly laughed, "You are truly insane. It seems there isn't a single normal person in your clan. For nearly a thousand years, you have been trying to occupy this land, but have you ever considered that true power has never come from conquering others?"
The man in black robes trembled slightly, clearly moved by Xu Yuehuai's words. But he quickly regained his composure and swallowed the blue gemstone.
"For the future of my people, this is the best choice!"
The figure in black robes suddenly accelerated across the icy plain, like a black lightning bolt, heading straight for Xu Yuehuai.
After he devoured the blue gemstone, it granted him unprecedented power. He was surrounded by eerie blue flames, each flame containing destructive power.
Seeing this, Xu Yuehuai quickly mobilized the power of the Crimson Rose within her body. The red light and blue flames intertwined in the air, creating unimaginable destructive power.
However, despite Xu Yuehuai's best efforts, she soon discovered that the gap in strength between herself and the man in black robes was still enormous.
Each of the black-robed man's attacks was powerful and heavy, as if it could tear space apart, while her defense seemed to be increasingly ineffective.
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